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  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Uzbekistan government on reports of (a) recent sentencing of Christians for possession of religious literature and (b) the deduction of the salaries of people who have previously been found guilty of possessing religious literature.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    We regularly raise our concerns, including on freedom of religion or belief, directly with the Uzbek authorities, through our Embassy in Tashkent and at Ministerial level. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood) discussed human rights concerns with Ministerial counterparts during his visit to Tashkent in April. Uzbekistan features as a Human Rights Priority Country in the FCO’s Annual Human Rights Report. We also encourage further progress towards full implementation of Uzbekistan’s international human rights commitments and obligations, both bilaterally and with our international partners.

    Concerns about freedom of religion or belief were raised in the last EU-Uzbekistan human rights dialogue which took place in November 2015, at the EU-Uzbekistan Co-operation Council in May 2015, and EU-Uzbekistan Co-operation Committee in December 2015. We will continue to press Uzbekistan representatives on such issues in forthcoming EU-Uzbekistan meetings.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) the Prime Minister, (b) the Attorney General and (c) the Secretary of State for Defence on the implications for Government policies of the Joint Declaration for the Export and Subsequent Use of Armed or Strike-Enabled unmanned Aerial Vehicles issued on 5 October 2016.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    The Foreign Secretary has had no direct discussions with the Prime Minister, or Defence Secretary on this US-led initiative. It is longstanding government policy not to comment on consultations with the Attorney General. Both the Foreign Secretary, and the Rt Hon Earl Howe (as Defence Minister with responsibility for this area) agreed that the Joint Declaration by 45 nations on the export and subsequent use of armed or strike-enabled unmanned aerial vehicles was consistent with, a reiteration of, existing UK Government policy.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will support the establishment of a UN Inquiry into alleged war crimes committed during the Yemen civil war.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    ​We are aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) by actors in the conflict and take these very seriously. It is important that all sides conduct thorough and conclusive investigations into incidents where it is alleged that IHL has been breached. The Saudi Arabian Government has their own internal procedures for investigations. At a press conference on 31 January they announced more detail of how they investigate such incidents. The Saudi led Coalition Joint Investigations Assessment Team announced the outcome of 8 investigations on 4 August.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will raise with the Sudanese government reports of attacks on Christians and proposals by the Sudanese government to demolish church property in the Bahri region of Khartoum.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Freedom of religion or belief in Sudan, including allegations of the destruction of churches, continues to be an area of concern for the UK. Officials from our Embassy in Khartoum consistently raise it with the Government of Sudan as part of our ongoing human rights dialogue, most recently during the visit of a senior Sudanese delegation to London on 10 October. More widely, we continue to call on the Government of Sudan to ensure all legislation is consistent with the commitment to their citizens in the Interim Constitution of 2005 within which religious freedom is enshrined.

  • Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Norman Lamb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of proposed changes in the level of community pharmacy funding on 100 hour pharmacies.

    David Mowat

    The Government’s proposals for community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond, on which we have consulted, are being considered against the public sector equality duty, the family test and the relevant duties of my Rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health under the National Health Service Act 2006. Our assessment considers a range of potential impacts in respect to the adequate provision of NHS pharmaceutical services and access to NHS pharmaceutical services, including supplementary hours and 100 hours per week pharmacies. An impact assessment will be completed to inform final decisions and published in due course.

    Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive. We are consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared with others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population.

    An impact assessment will be completed to inform final decisions and published in due course.

    Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive. We are consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared with others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that GP surgeries have the (a) resources and (b) training to provide a patient-friendly service, including appointments with a preferred GP in advance and at a time convenient to patients; and what rights patients have if GP surgeries do not meet such standards.

    David Mowat

    The Government is committed to improving access to general practitioner (GP) services as part of our plan for a seven day National Health Service, and has invested £175 million in the GP Access Fund to test improved and innovative access to GP services. Across the two waves of the Access Fund there are 57 schemes covering over 2,500 practices and 18 million patients, testing a wide variety of approaches that will ensure a patient-friendly services. These include opening 8am-8pm on weekdays and weekends; better use of telecare and health apps; more innovative ways to access services by video call, email or telephone; and developing more integrated services with a single point of contact to co-ordinate patient services.

    GPs are contractually required to provide essential services to meet the reasonable needs of their patients within core hours. Under the NHS constitution, patients have the right to express a preference for using a particular doctor within their GP practice, and for the practice to try to comply. The 2015-16 (July 2016) GP Patient Survey found that 91% of patients who had a GP they preferred to see them at least some of the time, and 92.1% of patients who got an appointment found it was convenient. If a patient believes they are not receiving this standard of care they have the right to complain; any complaint made must be acknowledged within three working days and be properly investigated.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have been diagnosed with the rare cancer rhabdomyosarcoma in each of the last five years by (a) age group and (b) gender; and what proportion of those people died in each of those years.

    Chris Skidmore

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • George Howarth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    George Howarth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the number of cancelled elective operations in the (a) Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital NHS Trust, (b) St Helens and Knowsley Hospital Services NHS Trust, (c) Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, (d) Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, (e) Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust and (f) Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in the last six months.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    NHS England publishes information each quarter on the number of last minute elective operations cancelled for non-clinical reasons. The following table shows this information for the specified trusts in the two most recent quarters. A last minute cancellation is defined as when a patient’s operation is cancelled by the hospital on or after the day of admission, including the day of surgery, for non-clinical reasons.

    Number of last minute elective operations cancelled for non-clinical reasons for specified trusts, Quarter 4 2015/16 and Quarter 1 2016/17

    Quarter 4 2015/16

    Quarter 1 2016/17

    Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust

    113

    93

    St Helens and Knowsley Hospital Services NHS Trust

    161

    102

    Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

    67

    39

    Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

    55

    61

    Southport And Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust

    77

    27

    Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

    0

    31

    Source: Cancelled elective operations, NHS England

    Note:

    Quarter 2 data will be published on 11 November 2016.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he take steps to raise awareness among pregnant women of the (a) risks of alcohol consumption and (b) benefits of zero alcohol consumption.

    Nicola Blackwood

    The new United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ (CMO) low risk drinking guidelines provide the public with the most up to date scientific information to help people make informed decisions about their own drinking.

    The guideline for women who are pregnant or think they could become pregnant, is that the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all, to reduce risks to the baby to a minimum.

    The UK CMOs’ low risk drinking guidelines can be found at Gov.uk at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alcohol-consumption-advice-on-low-risk-drinking

    “

  • George Howarth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    George Howarth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the budget deficits are at the (a) Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital NHS Trust, (b) St Helens and Knowsley Hospital Services NHS Trust, (c) Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, (d) Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, (e) Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust and (f) Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The latest financial positions of individual National Health Service trusts are published in NHS trust Board papers, available on NHS trust websites.